Monday, January 27, 2014

Mindfullness

Happy Monday! One of the unexpected gifts of radical homemaking and this new journey of simplifying my home's consumption, is that I have more time to notice my life. Sounds silly, right? Because I am not at the grocery store every week, running long errands while grabbing a Starbucks on the go, or heading out the door with my kids every time we want a little entertainment, I have more time to take notice of my home, my children and my marriage. My inner metronome has slowed down and my enjoyment of everyday moments has skyrocketed.

Yesterday morning, my husband snapped the photo below while I was holding my son. The astonishing thing to me about this photo is my state of being. Charlie is frequently relaxed and content, but I am usually bopping about doing some odd thing or another. A slower family rhythm is the unexpected bi-product of simplifying our household intake. Turning down unnecessary work, looking to home-bound activities for entertainment, making food from scratch and reigning in our budget has allowed me to be more present with my children and mindful of my own needs. While I was holding Charlie, this thought came to me:

Hold your babies.

Love them for who they are right now.

Expect nothing.

I have shared the following image before on this blog but I think it bears repeating. It was originally compiled by Karen Maezen Miller for Shambhala Sun magazine. My husband cut it out and tacked it to our refrigerator in 2011. It's been up ever since and I read it everyday. It seems closely aligned with my Radical Homemaking journey, so I want to share it with you here.

3 comments:

I reeeeally don't want to throw the "it goes by so fast" thing at you, but seeing this image reminded me that my oldest, now 14 and taller than me, barely lets me hug him. He's got this "Lean away" thing down, haha. We are very close and we joke around all the time, so the love shifted. But I really treasure cuddles with my younger two these days. Honestly, I think I've done a pretty great job of cherishing this entire wild ride. I can tell you are, too.

Love the 10 things. All feels familiar, but lovely to see it all bundled beautifully.

I just found your blog thanks to Houzz, but I feel like I've met a kindred spirit! I just recent subscribed to Shambala Sun, too bad I missed that list! It would like be on my bathroom mirror. Maybe I will draw it.